An Auburn University junior who disappeared while traveling with family in Japan has been found dead ... bringing a devastating end to a week-long search effort.
James "Weston" Higginbotham-- a 20-year-old biosystems engineering student -- was found by a volunteer search-and-rescue group in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, according to a Facebook post by his parents Saturday.
"Our family is heartbroken to share that Weston was found deceased," they wrote ... adding, "The grief we feel is impossible to put into words."
Emotional moment in Karmelo Anthony's murder trial ... tears started flowing as prosecutors played bodycam footage of paramedics trying to save Austin Metcalf from a fatal stab wound.
The gut-wrenching footage played in court Friday, showed paramedics giving Austin CPR after he was stabbed at a Texas high school track meet. He's unresponsive on the ground as they try to save his life.
It was hard for Austin's parents to watch ... they broke down in tears and were held by family members while the footage played.
Jeffrey Epstein "sexually and psychologically" abused his former assistant for over a decade ... at least that's what she told a House oversight committee investigating the late pedophile's crimes.
According to the transcript of Sarah Kellen's interview with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform May 21 ... she claimed Epstein groomed, abused, controlled, and manipulated her "until I could no longer tell which thoughts were mine and which were his."
Sarah told the Committee she didn't even get her first paycheck from the disgraced financier until she agreed to "submit to his sexual abuse."
Update in the suspected murder-suicide down in Florida ... officials say Ryan Whiten slaughtered his ex-wife and their daughters before killing himself.
As we reported ... Ryan, his ex-wife, Melanie Hyer, and their daughters Savannah and Sienna, were found dead with stab wounds in their Doral home Tuesday after deputies from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office responded to a welfare check.
MDSO suspected a murder-suicide but didn't know who did the stabbing ... and now they've determined it was Ryan.
Police have not released a motive for the heinous act or detailed how long they were dead before being found.
The investigation is ongoing.
Melanie and Ryan were previously married and were co-parenting their daughters at the time of their deaths. They had each remarried after their split, though Melanie had finalized a divorce in March, per court records obtained by TMZ.
Ryan’s ex-wife, who divorced him in 2024, told 7 News Miami Melanie and Ryan had a toxic relationship and often fought over their kids, but was shocked to hear about their murders.
She recalled ... "He was always so sweet with his girls and loved them deeply. I don’t know what happened."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Karen Readis off the hook for the death of her cop boyfriend, John O'Keefe ... but she's not done fighting the system that put her through hell.
She sat down with the "Today" Friday to explain why she's suing the police departments working the case, saying it was always her plan to file a lawsuit after first defending herself in court.
Karen explains ... "I have to continue fighting for justice. The acquittal is deserved, but the wrongs have not been completely righted."
"Top Gun: Maverick" star James Handy was savagely murdered in Los Angeles ... and now there's video purportedly showing the assailant -- who police say is his girlfriend's son -- strolling away from the crime scene.
Check out the clip ... the suspect -- believed to be 44-year-old Michael Gledhill -- appears to be captured on Ring camera walking along a sidewalk in front of a neighbor's home as he leaves the scene before coming back to the house where James was stabbed to death Wednesday morning ... according to video obtained by FOX 11.
After the murder, Gledhill allegedly called 911 and told dispatchers, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”
The orange figure seen near Jeffrey Epstein's cell the night he died in a federal lockup in 2019 will remain a mystery, at least for now, after a former correction officer testified that the strange shape was not her in surveillance footage.
Last month, Tova Noel testified in front of the House Oversight Committee that she was NOT the mysterious figure climbing a flight of stairs to Epstein's tier inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in NYC on August 9, 2019, the night before Epstein died.
Epstein's body was found inside his cell in the Special Housing Unit, and the NYC Medical Examiner ruled his death a suicide. But conspiracy theories persist to this day that the pedophile financier -- who was awaiting trial for child sex trafficking -- was murdered.
An Arkansas dad accused of killing a man charged with sexually abusing his teenage daughter has scored a massive courtroom victory ... because he's off the hook in his murder case.
A judge on Thursday tossed the second-degree murder charge against Aaron Spencer, the Arkansas father who became a national headline after launching a campaign for county sheriff while awaiting trial.
The ruling stems from a lengthy fight over missing evidence. Spencer's attorneys argued investigators lost key materials during the case ... and the judge ultimately decided misconduct by law enforcement "was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted."
Karmelo Anthony fought Austin Metcalf for four minutes under a tent at a Texas high school track meet before fatally stabbing him ... at least that's what prosecutors say the surveillance video shows.
Jurors were shown footage that appears to show one person shoving another person under the tent at the 2025 track meet where Austin was stabbed.
Prosecutors say it's Karmelo and Austin in the video ... even though you can't see their faces. They say this goes on for four minutes before a person -- who they claim is Karmelo -- is seen running from the tent, toward the exit.
Karen Read is suing the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department after being acquitted of her late cop boyfriend John O'Keefe's murder … claiming they hire and train "biased and corrupt" officers who she says are "virulent bigots."
According to Karen's lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, she claims MSP and CPD have created an "insidious culture of bigotry and misogyny" that "has likely resulted in other unconstitutional criminal investigations."
Karen specifically names former MSP Detective Michael Proctor -- the lead investigator in O’Keefe’s death -- and former CPD Sergeant Sean Goode ... claiming they had "entrenched and unrepentant hatred for women, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Arabs, and gay people."
The complaint claims Proctor once said … "Actually, take your time, I saw a n***** was involved, so I wouldn't rush if you're working. Let them die."
The mystery surrounding influencer Ashlee Jenae's death has officially come to a close ... because authorities in Tanzania have ruled the 31-year-old died by suicide days after getting engaged.
Police say the investigation is now complete after Ashlee -- whose real name was Ashly Robinson -- was found unconscious inside her villa at a luxury resortin April during what was supposed to be a birthday getaway with fiancé Joe McCann.
The Tanzania Police Force says a hotel employee entered Ashlee's villa during a routine evening check after getting no response at the door and found her hanging inside a wardrobe. Investigators say she was suspended from the closet's clothing rail using a robe belt the hotel provides for guests.
Initial documents from April listed her immediate cause of death as cerebral hypoxia caused by strangulation and suffocation.
Rep. Andy Ogles says he's "mind blown" over a staffer he claims fired off a tweet on the Congressman's account, saying there's no place for homosexuality in America -- but Andy won't say if he shares the sentiment.
Charliegot the Congressman from Tennessee Thursday on the Hill, and he called the tweet "stupid" and "inappropriate." But Charlie pressed, asking him several times if he agreed or disagreed with the comment, and Ogles bobbed and weaved to avoid answering.
As Charlie noted, Ogles has made similar comments in the past about other groups, such as Muslims. The Congressman doubled down in that tweet, but remained firm ... a staffer wrote the homosexuality tweet, not him.
So then the question ... if the staffer wrote a hateful comment about homosexuals, why just a simple reprimand? Watch the video for his answer.
Prosecutors say surveillance video will show Karmelo Anthony wasn't trying to avoid trouble at a Texas high school track meet that turned deadly ... he was looking for it.
That's the message jurors heard Thursday as opening statements got underway in Anthony's murder trial over the fatal stabbing of fellow teen Austin Metcalf.
Collin County prosecutor Bill Wirskye told the jury the case boils down to what they will see on surveillance footage from the scene, saying the "video tells the story." According to prosecutors, witnesses heard Anthony tell Metcalf, "Touch me, see what happens," after a dispute erupted inside a team tent.
2:25PM PT -- Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau detectives have posted a second update, saying they've "determined that Mr. Whiten is the biological father of Ms. Savannah Whiten and Ms. Sienna Whiten, and co-parent to Ms. Hyer."
The statement adds ... "The investigation revealed that Mr. Whiten committed these heinous acts and then took his own life. The investigation continues."
A Florida realtor, her ex-husband, and their two young daughters are all dead ... in what police are calling a murder-suicide.
Law enforcement responded Tuesday to a welfare check at a Doral home and found Melanie Hyer, Ryan Whiten and their daughters Savannah and Sienna dead, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.
MDSO says all four had stab wounds and they believe the tragic incident is a murder-suicide ... but no word yet on who did the stabbing.
Alarming footage shows the moment a Boeing 787's nose gear collapses while the Lufthansa plane is parked at its gate ... and the incident caused several injuries.
The travel nightmare went down Thursday at Frankfurt Airport in Germany ... crew members and ground staff were on board the jetliner when the "nose landing gear unexpectedly retracted" ... according to the airline.
Lufthansa says several employees were injured and are receiving medical treatment, adding ... "We are currently investigating the exact circumstances in cooperation with the relevant authorities."
A Minnesota woman charged with killing another driver in a head-on collision is blaming a dog that was in the car with her ... at least according to prosecutors.
Shauna Rae Dokken is facing a vehicular homicide charge after prosecutors say she was driving under the influence and swerving in her pickup truck when she crossed into oncoming traffic and smashed into an SUV, killing 82-year-old Barbara Welberg ... according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Dokken reportedly told law enforcement her dog took control of the steering wheel while she was trying to reach for a treat ... and when she tried grabbing the wheel, she struck the shoulder of the highway and spun out ... leading to the head-on crash.
